HONDURAS: PARLIAMENT VOTES AGAINST ZELAYA’S REINSTATEMENT
The parliament of Honduras has rejected a proposal to reinstate deposed President Manuel Zelaya. After a long session, an overwhelming majority of 111 deputies voted against the return of Zelaya, who is living in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa. Only 14 deputies voted in favour.
Mr. Zelaya has already refused to return in any case because he believe that, in doing so, he would be giving legitimacy to the coup that deposed him in late June.
All 128 lawmakers expressed their views about the issue and the majority of those who voted against Zelaya’s return to power said that they did not want President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela to run Honduras.
El Heraldo (Honduras, Spanish)
El Pais (Spanish)
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8390654.stm
SEVERE FLOODS AFFECT URUGUAY
The intense rains that have affected Paysandú and Salto, have forced the authorities to implement emergency measures to rescue thousands of people who are trapped in flooded areas in the northern and western regions.
Many inhabitants have decided not to be evacuated for fear of looting and the authorities say that the situation is serious.
Authorities are also evaluating the social and economic impact of the crisis.
El Pais (Uruguay, Spanish)
HUMAN RIGHTS SCANDAL LEADS CHILE TO CANCEL CELEBRATIONS
The Chilean government has cancelled a regatta that was going to be held to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the declaration of independence because of the arrest of several army officers accused of violations of human rights.
The ceremony was due to take place on the battleship Esmeralda, a training vessel where opponents of the military government were tortured in 1973 days after the military coup that deposed President Salvador Allende on 11 September 1973. The Chilean navy said that it did not want the arrest of a group of high-ranking officials, among them two rear admirals and some captains, to overshadow the ceremony.
El Pais
ECONOMY
BRAZIL’S INDUSTRY GROWS
Brazil’s industrial output continues to recover strongly. Production grew by 2.2% in October, compared with output in September. This is the tenth consecutive month of growth. Even so, accumulated industrial output for the first ten months of the year was 10.7% down on the same period in 2009.
The Central Bank cut interest rates earlier this year to help Brazil get out of recession. However, analysts believe that the country’s industrial growth may lead the monetary authorities to increase interest rates early next year to keep inflation under control.
Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=awbOZ2Cf1Wio
CLIMATE CHANGE
ENVIRONMENTALIST DEMANDS PROTECTION OF NATURE IF COPENHAGEN FAILS
A top expert on the environment says that a Declaration of the Rights of Nature must become a priority, if the Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen later this month ends in failure.
Alejandro Lanz, director of the Centre for Ecological Research based in Venezuela, who believes that the Copenhagen summit will end without an agreement, says that the human race has to reassess its relationship with the “Pachamama” (Mother Earth, in the Quechua language) to make sure that the planet is not seen as a mere source of resources for human consumption.
Lanz believes that Venezuela has contributed to the deterioration of the habitat with deforestation, illegal mining and the destruction of ecosystems.
Analitica (Venezuela, Spanish)
http://www.analitica.com/medioambiente/2918963.asp